Dictionaries may show the pronunciation of a word using the International Phonetic
Alphabet (IPA), which tries to express every sound in all languages. English
phonemic script covers the 44 sounds used in English (20 vowel sounds and
24 consonant sounds): the symbols are shown below. Learn how to read these pronunciation
guides, so you know how to say new words. Alternatively, use an online dictionary
or electronic dictionary which allows you to hear the words or example
sentences.

Phonemic symbols for British English

You may want to attend a pronunciation course (for example, see: http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/scep/index.html)
or elocution classes (you can sometimes find classes offered by British
actors or accent coaches in "The Stage": http://www.thestage.co.uk).
Some English teachers offer one-to-one lessons, which can be an effective
way to improve pronunciation quickly.

Listen to recorded voices (tapes, CDs or videos). Use the pause control and try
to repeat what has just been said; rewind and listen to the original again. Record
your own voice and listen to it. Ask native speakers to help you - for example,
read out loud (say) a line from a newspaper, and then ask a native speaker
to read out the same line.

Study how sounds are made, and practice in front of a mirror. The way of
using the tongue, lips, teeth and throat may be different from your language.
You may want to exaggerate the movements while you are practicising making the
sounds. For example, the l sound is often made by pressing the tongue against
the upper teeth, but while you are practising making the sound it may be better
to stick out your tongue until it touches the upper lip. Similarly, the r sound
is usually made by pressing the upper teeth against the inside of the lower lip.
While you are practising, use the upper teeth to bite the outside of the lower
lip.

List words that you find difficult to pronounce, or which native English speakers
find difficult to understand when they listen to you. Some of the common pronunciation
errors for non-British speakers (listed by language) are shown at http://www.phonology.net.
Try saying tongue-twisters (for some examples, see: Ideas/Fun).
Ask English people if they can tell which word you are saying

Below are some examples of words which are often pronounced differently in Britain
and in the US. The usual British pronunciation is shown first, followed by the
usual American pronunciation in brackets (there are of course many regional variations,
so these differences may not apply in all areas):

Ballet: ball-ay (ba-llay): stress is on the first part in Britain, but
on the second part in AmericaClerk: clark (clurk): rhymes with 'park' in Britain, but rhymes with
'work' in AmericaLever: leever (levver): rhymes with 'fever' in Britain, but it is often
pronounced to rhyme with 'never' in AmericaPrivacy: pri-va-see (pry-va-see): the 'i' is short in Britain (like the
'i' of 'image'), but long in America (like the 'i' of 'idea')Schedule: shed-yool (sked-yool): 'sch' is pronounced like 'sh' in 'ship'
in Britain, but like 'sk' in 'skip' in AmericaTomato: to-maa-tow (to-may-tow): 'ma' is like the 'ma' of 'mark' in Britain,
but like the 'ma' of 'make' in America; rhymes with potato in America, but not
in BritainVase: vaaz (vayz): rhymes with Mars in Britain, but with maze in America

The vowel sounds in American English are often quite different from those in
British English, especially the "o" and "a" sounds, and
the "r" at the end of a word. There are of course many regional variations.
When compared with the sounds of Oxford English, the most obvious pronunciation
differences are with people who come from the west and south of the US (for
example: California or Texas), and are less obvious for people from the east
or north (for example: New York or Washington). Ask a British and American person
to say "bottle of water", and compare the "o" sound of "bottle"
and the "a" and "r" sounds of "water".